This dialogue by Hornbeck is stating that he wrote a bitter, sweet article about Cates that has its good and bad things about him. He says that Cates is a man who believes in his religion and believes it should be taught. Hornbeck compares him to Socrates because Socrates was a philosopher who taught his theories. He also compared him to Dreyfus and Romeo because they both broke the rules just like he did, only he did it in science.